Lignocellulosic and proximate based compositional changes in substrates during cultivation of Hericium erinaceus mushroom

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate the potential of several kinds of forestry (oak sawdust (OS), poplar sawdust (PS)) and agricultural byproducts (common vessel straw (CV), wheat straw (WS), safflower wastes (SW) and bean straw (BS)) as growing substrate for Hericium erinaceus cultivation, but also assessing the chemical and lignocellulosic changes occurred in the growing substrates during H. erinaceus cultivation process to understand the needs of the fungus. Moreover, the proximate and lignocellulosic composition of H. erinaceus spent mushroom substrate were presented in the study. Among substrates, CV appeared to promote earliness by presenting shorter cropping periods (29 d), whereas maximum yields (115.8 g/kg and 37.3% BE) and heavier basidiomata (54.1 g) were produced by OS substrates. Spawn running time was correlated positively with carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) and lignin content of substrates ( r2 = 0.946), while BEs was positively correlated with lignin content ( r2 = 0.846) and inversely correlated to cellulose/ lignin ratio ( r2=–0.955). The moisture, N, ash, lignocellulosic content of all the substrates were changed greatly during H. erinaceus cultivation, but their rates of change varied at different growing stages. The findings indicate that the shortened spawn run period was correlated with the loss of substrate hemicellulose and high lignin concentration in conjunction to their low cellulose/lignin ratio applies a positive effect on yield and BEs of H.erinaceus.